The Burrell Collection

Lived in Glasgow my whole life and never visited till now, was very impressed, great location, great exhibits and fantastic venue
Café is dire however don’t waste your money there

The Burrell Collection is one of the great (and free) museums in Glasgow. It is outside the city center, and well worth the drive. We were not disappointed. Parking is the only real expense, but we did stop for food at the Burrell Café, and I was happy with the veg chili and salad. There is also a museum store, if you want to get souvenirs from your trip to Glasgow, this might be the place to look.

The Burrell collection was one of the great private collections of objets d’art and historical artefacts (although you can call them knick-​knacks) in the world. Thankfully, the collection is now in public ownership and can be viewed free of charge. The collection is housed in a modern building in the middle of pollok park, making it easy to spend the day wandering around nearby Pollock house too.
Entering in via a church-​like entrance, be sure to pick up a free guide which’ll give you an idea where each part begins & ends. It’s quite easy to lose track of some of the collections so the guide does come in handy. There are some fantastic Chinese, Egyptian, Greek & Roman artefacts as well as a large collection of large Islamic styled ceramics and textiles. What’s astounding is that the vast majority of the pieces are in fantastic condition. William Burrell also assembled an interesting collection of paintings ranging from some of the classic artists to the Glasgow Boys. The paintings are housed in the centre of the building, but as you almost have to turn back on yourself, it can be easy to miss!
If you find yourself (or the kids) weary of all that art & history, there’s a café downstairs. You can access it via stairs or lift which are opposite the way to the paintings. I didn’t visit the café as I was going onto Pollok house, but from what I saw it looked to be doing a decent turn in trade. The café area has views out across the grass and would be a nice sun trap during spells of decent weather.
I was pleased to see signs encouraging folk to post photo’s on social media, which’ll help publicise Glasgow’s great museums and keep the donations coming in to ensure this great collection stays free for the public

We only had time for one museum while in Glasgow, and The Burrell Collection seemed like the best choice. It’s free, and only costs £1 to park.
The Burrell is home to Rodin’s «The Thinker» sculpture (one of them at least). There’s also a beautiful stained glass exhibit. You’ll find paintings by lots of the old masters, like Manet, Rembrandt, Hogarth, Degas, Cezanne, and Renoir, just to name a few. I liked their extensive collection of textiles and tapestries, though the medieval arms and armory might have been my favorite part.
Although we didn’t have time for it, the parks and gardens on the grounds seemed like a great place to spend the afternoon on a nice day, especially if you have a dog, children, or a picnic basket. If you only have limited time like we did, I’d honestly pick The Burrell over the Kelvingrove.

«Lovely day out»
Reviewed 25 November 2011
A great day out in Pollock park. Burrell’s collection of ancient artefacts from around the world is exceptional. A couple of hours is all you need and it serves great coffee and cake…
After Coffee and cake you’ve got the option of strolling Pollock park with the highland cows and perusing Pollock House. Pollock House has a great restaurant too…
Visited August 2011

There is a large part of me that wishes he had done more to help the more deprived areas of Glasgow with all this money — however what is done is done and the museum itself is stunning. The architecture had stood the test of time and is still the perfect backdrop for this amazing (if slightly bonkers) collection.
The café is good and not over priced with stunning views out onto the park

18 years!
That’s how long ago I landed in this city. I’ve been a permanent resident for 14 of those. Today was only the second time I’d set foot in Pollock Park. The first time was for work.
That makes today the first time I chose to go to Pollock Park, and the Burrell Collection.
If you’re interested in ancient civilisations this is an absolute must visit. Relics from hunners of years BC from Egypt, China, Greece and Europe (I know, Greece is part of Europe, but it has it’s own section) are on display in a building which is both very old and very new. Archways from various castles, temples and churches make up the doorways, around which is modern sandstone and glass and the effect is surprisingly good. Usually I hate old world and new world architectural combinations, but it seems to work here.
The displayed items are quite stunningly presented, often in atmosphere controlled glass cabinets which you can get close to.
Almost too close. There were kids running about and I had the fear of someone who is in the vicinity of a multimillion pound disaster waiting to happen.
After milling around for a bit there’s a café/​restaurant with a good selection. I went for the chorizo and chick pea broth, which was all of the delicious. All of it. The Café is situated under a glass roof which looks out onto a grass lawn and makes for a very relaxing place. I could have spent hours just sitting here, if it weren’t for those pesky kids!
Seriously people, if you have kids under 10, or kids over 10 who show no interest in history or culture, please please pretty please with sugar on top, please don’t take them to museums like this.

Honestly, it’s just okay. I did think the armor was cool, but I actually liked the bright building and café itself more than 95% of the showcased collection. There really wasn’t anything overly unique here based on what I’ve seen at other museums, galleries, etc. and as a tourist, I really didn’t need to go here.

Having seen «Alight here for the Burrell Collection» at a number of nearby stations, I eventually thought I’d see what exactly The Burrell Collection was. Well, it’s great.
Situated in Pollock Country Park (which is worth a visit alone for a good walk/​cycle and to look at highland cattle), The Burrell Collection is a fantastic museum showing off items collected by Sir William Burrell.
Unfortunately my visit was cut short, however as it is on my doorstep it is high on my list of things to do on my next day off, and I will be adding to this review then!

The Burrell Collection is one of the gems of the city. To have a world class collection like this in Glasgow should make any resident proud.
I would not try and take it in one visit. There is simply too much. Choose a tapestry or possibly a piece of amazing ceramic and simply take it in.
There is enough here to enjoy for a very long time — as long as you take the time to enjoy it.
Slow down and take your time — you don’t get any points for finishing it fast or seeing the most number of things in the shortest amount of time.
BTW — The gift shop is great — lots things for the giving season when you need something for those folks who are tough to buy for. Grab a cup of tea at the café as well — eat a sandwich and support the museum.

Another reason why Glasgow rocks… is if we needed more!
The Burrell collection (pronounced kinda in the same way you would say funnel… try it.) is yet another free thing to do in sunny (ish) Glasgow and as good a reason as any to make a wee trip to the southside of the city.
OK, the history stuff: Old rich guy donates tons o’ art work to the city… city put it on display, the end… can you tell i never paid attention in history?
Set in the wonderful surroundings of Pollok Country Park, the Burrell makes a fine trip or even just a place to pop into for a coffee if you happen to be in the park… the café ain’t exactly obvious in location so just ask.
Make this a destination spot… aye it’s maybe a little awkward to get to, aye it’s just that little bit out the way compared to the rest of the Glasgow tourist sites, but its totally worth the trek!
Done and dusted, you can now go back to whatever you were doing before i so rudely interrupted you.

A Richard Branson of his day, old Willie Burrell was certainly a bit of a hoarder He collected thousands upon thousands of artworks, trinkets and doo-​dahs, and had the decency to donate them all to the city of Glasgow when he stopped breathing.
Willie certainly knew his stuff, and thus the Burrell collection tends to provide a less populist and in some ways less accessible experience than Kelvingrove. That’s more of a compliment than a criticism though, and The Burrell has for the 27 years it’s been opened, revelled in it’s status as a thinking man’s museum.
Perhaps even the jewel in the crown of Glasgow’s tourist attractions, it has the added draw of being located in the tremendous Pollok Park. Unmissable.

Isn’t it amazing that one man collected all the items on display here? He collected over 9000 pieces of art which he donated to Glasgow in 1944, pretty generous, eh? I wish I had his knack of finding such goodies, when I’m hunting for treasures I usually only come across some flea bitten old stuff that nobody else wants.
Set in Pollock Park a visit to The Burrell Collection will always ensure a fabulous day out for all the family, it’s not just the items inside that are impressive but the gorgeous Pollock Park is beautiful for a picnic or a stroll especially on a beautiful summers day. I particularly like the items from ancient Egypt and really could spend a whole day here. What’s more it is absolutely free so there is not excuse for not paying a visit to the good old Burrell!

This was an enjoyable addition for me to a nice walk around Pollok Park, and a welcome shift in temperature.
There’s some really interesting pieces in here, and well laid out so you know where you are and what you can expect. That being said, there are some curiousities in here that I was surprised were not behind a glass cabinet.
It’s also in a lovely clean elegant building, with lots of open space to move around.
Well worth a look.

The Burrell Collection is a tremendous collection of arts and treasures hidden away in the woods of The Pollok Park. It really is a lovely place, a tremendous building housing all sorts of antiquities and curiosities.
William Burrell gifted his art collection to Glasgow in 1944. It’s a fine collection and renowned the world over. Medieval art, European classics and an important collection of Islamic Art all combine to make for a fascinating experience.
And it’s free! A must-​see.

This art gallery is a little like some kind of giant Aladdin’s Cave. The story behind the collection is a great one — Sir Burrell was a Glasgow businessman in the first half of the 20^th Century and had so much money that he just didn’t know what to do with it. So he spent copious (and we’re talking COPIOUS) amounts of money on buying artwork, sculptures, rugs, furniture, ceramics and in fact whole rooms.
On his death, he bequested the whole collection to the city of Glasgow — with the proviso that it had to be displayed to the people of Glasgow on a permanent basis.
And so this is where we come in. On any given day you can head to the building that houses the Burrell Collection (custom designed and built for the purpose, obviously) which is right in the middle of Pollock Country Park.
Inside you’ll find an amazing collection of, well, everything. Instead of just sticking to collecting one genre of art work, Burrell splurged on anything and everything. The gallery itself is very bight and airy, and you will find youself viewing stained glass windows, sculptures, medieval furniture, ancient Chinese ceramics, ancient Grecian pottery and an incredible selection of Persian rugs as well as the expected impressionist artwork.
With a nice little café to boot, I highly recommend a visit to the Burrell Collection.

Situated in the depths of the south side, in the middle of a rather lovely park, The Burrell Collection is a quiet and intriguing addition to Glasgow’s rich culture.
In a purpose built museum, it houses a huge collection that is eclectic and wide, showcasing tapestries, archaic and medieval sculpture and pieces from as far afield as China and Egypt. Since it was based around one man’s idiosyncratic collection, it hangs together more on his taste than any coherent approach. Nevertheless, this adds to its charm and makes a wander around the halls a series of delightful surprises.
The café is a standard Glasgow Authority franchise: good food at fair prices, but hardly enticing. It does look out over the park and is perfect for a quick cup of coffee after a few hours on the culture trail. Certainly worth a visit, but its isolation from the city centre makes it a bit of a trek.

First of all, there’s nothing like a great big gorgeous museum in the middle of an idyllic park. This lovely, modern, light and airy building in the middle of Pollock Country Park is pleasing to gaze at from far away as part of your meanderings or up close should you choose to engage with the place.
And if you are a lover of art, you should choose. This insane collection of over 9,000 works of art gifted to Glasgow by the mega-​rich Burrells is a curator’s wet dream. You can spend hours in here marveling over the beauties and structures from all over the world.
There is also a pretty killer gift shop and a gorgeous café with huge windows and great food. Go here while the menfolk are grunting over the Old Firm match.

I loved going in The burrell collection with my grandparents, as it is something for a family to do
As since then I am an art lovers, and my grandparents do have interest in the arts, so it is a good place for all of us to spend our free time to looks around and to chat and to critics the artist’s handiwork etc.
They have various of arts stuffs, such as ancient arts, asian arts, chinese arts, islamic arts, korean arts, roman arts, and erm, everything else, as I cannot be expected to remember everything inside this area.
however if you have any little kids, be warned to keep them well in reins, as there are bounds to have some certain items to be accidently knocked off So I dont think it is suitable for little kids, while they do get bored that easily
For me and my grandparents, it was well worth for all of us to go in there to have a lazy day to spend together to look around regardless of the weather, as since then it is indoors!

A real eclectic mix of exhibits and and artifacts donated by the Burrell estate and set within Pollok park. It’s a museum I can remember visiting as a child and have visited again more recently with my own children and family. To be honest though I’m not sure this is one for the kids, certainly my own found it rather tiresome despite instructions that they will like it!
I personally enjoy the museum and have been on a number of occassions as an adult, the exhibits are well laid out and well displayed and lit making it an informative and enjoyable experience with that classic museum quiet that I find particularly conducive to this type of afternoon out.